Last year, I were hoping to do a painting after a long time. It’s been ages since we left our professional image. So, I hit up doing so again and decided to make a painting out of acrylic paint.
Since it’s a pretty challenger in nature, I decided to make watercolor paint from acrylic and then implement it properly.
Can you make watercolor paint from acrylic? Yes, definitely! We knew what we needed to do. So, we went on start the mission.
As I had ideas about the nature and behavior of the wet acrylic paint and watercolor techniques. So, I didn’t face many complications. I gathered the materials and requirements accordingly and completed our desired painting.
Just like us, do you want to make watercolor paint from acrylic? If so, this article will provide you the best and most reliable information and instructions. But first, let’s know about acrylic as watercolor.
Benefits of using Acrylic as Watercolor
Acrylic is one of the best alternative usages of watercolor. Talking about its benefits, you won’t be able to calm down finishing it.
Some of the outstanding feats of using the acrylic are:
Toxicity Levels
The acrylic paints are primarily water-based. That means you won’t be having any toxic or hazardous issues with it.
Getting in touch with your skin won’t be causing you any harm. You can remove it any time you want with water or cloth.
Double Layering
The layers of acrylic always tend to stay the way it has been put. It means it stays to the ways you put it on the paper and color it.
Even with water, you cannot remove it from the paper. It lasts long enough and keeps on charming your paint. You can also recolor the painting using acrylic in case you want to modify it.
Accuracy
A good quality acrylic paint is said to be the most durable paint for painters. It stays so firm that it won’t ever fade away.
Their flexibility is also said to be excellent and handy. It’s like, you get the full advantage of spreading on your paper most conveniently. You also get to have the highest control over it while painting.
Versatility
The versatility of the wet acrylic paint surpasses all. Using this paint, you get to paint the whole on any surface free from oil and wax.
Even on wood, soil, watercolor canvas, plastic, metal, etc. medium, the acrylic settles more firmly than watercolor painting. Their quick-drying enables them to be entirely suitable and adaptable.
Water solubility
As the paint is water-soluble, you get to make the density of the color all by yourself. Depending on your work, you can mix the water accordingly. You can also wash it off with water from your hand or clothes.
Vibrancy
Comparing the acrylic color with the Water-based acrylic paints, its vibrance and texture stand out at the top for sure. You can easily differentiate when you can see a painting of acrylic and watercolor. Acrylic color portrays the natural vibe of the image more accurately.
Availability
Talking about its availability, you can get the acrylic color in different forms. They are available in tubes, bowls, containers, etc. Mostly, they are sold in boxes because it is easier to get it out from there and make the mix accordingly.
How to Turn Acrylic as Watercolor Paint
By now, you already know the characteristics and advantages of using acrylic color. But one thing you are unaware of till now is its watercolor functioning.
Yes, you read it right! You can turn the acrylic color into a watercolor with some easy methods and implementations. This makes the acrylic color to be more reliable and usable. Let’s see the methods accordingly.
Step 1: Surface Selection
Surface selection for acrylic is a significant factor to consider while doing the work. If your medium is not suitable enough, you won’t be able to reach the final goal.
That’s why acrylic painters recommend using high-quality heavy papers for the purpose. Choose the ones with 100% cotton rag. They hold the water firmly and gives you the best freedom in controlling the mix.
Add some extra additive as a 1:20 ratio of flow acid and distilled water on the paper to provide more profound variance. For standard canvas, use the Liquitex airbrush medium to think the colors.
Step 2: Application and Implementation
For a proper mixture, take semi-opaque acrylic ink. They have a soft body that gives closest to watercolor effect.
- Mix the additive of 1:20 flow acid and distilled water with the acrylic paint.
- Use a challenging medium to mix more conveniently. A brush paper can be suitable for the type of paint.
- Then, use the acrylic watercolor mixture over it to reduce surface tension.
- For ultra-edge faint brush marks, dampen the paper with flow acid, and they add the washes to get deeper saturation.
- To ensure perfect settling and slow drying up, add slow dri-fluid with distilled water at 1:4 over the paper.
Step 3: Final Touch and protection
After you are done with the implementations, it your duty to complete the final touch. For that, you have to make some essentials and apply them accordingly.
You must ensure the dry paint film from raw components. It has a high chance of getting spoiled. That’s why it is safe to protect the whole area masking with tape.
When you are applying the masking, make sure to do it with a brush or pen. This paves you to be more accurate in your work. Also, there remain the most negligible chances of any errors.
You should mask the paper before you go on to paint. This will protect the shades and texture firmly. You get to retain the watercolor effect from here.
You can use scotch tape to give the perfect finishing to your straight lines. The artists recommend the scotch 811 videos. You will be delighted with its service as it will not rip off your paper after you pull it out. In case you are to remove the fluid, use the lightest medium. You can rub with your finger or using a rubber cement eraser.
Note: Don’t use any knife or relevant thing as it might remove or destroy the whole texture.
FAQs
Q: Is Acrylic paint the same as Watercolor paint?
Acrylic paint is not quite the same as water paint. It is based on a mixture of acrylic polymer, making it more flexible, strong, and firm than watercolor. Usually, it is made with gum and water mixture with many other additives. You can get the watercolor effect from it, but their usage and characteristics are entirely different.
Q: Do acrylic paint good for paper?
Acrylic paints are massively great for paper. The acrylic paint can show its excellent characteristic not only on documents but also on soil, canvas, wood, plastic, etc.
Q: Can your thin acrylic paint with rubbing alcohol?
You can thin your acrylic paint with rubbing alcohol along with mineral spirits. Make the ratio of the mixture. Keeping 30% of water in it will allow you to work accordingly. Increasing the water will let you to go through the wash.
Q: Can you mix acrylic paint with resin?
You need to keep a balanced ratio while mixing acrylic paint with resin. For that, it is wise to keep the ratio 1:10 with the acrylic and resin. Mix them well with a brush or plastic spoon to keep the sticky color in nature.
Final words
A beautiful and blissful watercolor paint is waiting for you to cover up with acrylic medium or colors. There is nothing called impossible stuff in artworks. You just need to imply the proper steps and instructions.
Also, these procedures and steps are pretty easy to avail the watercolor effects from non-watercolor paints. Just like mixing the acrylic paints, you can change their nature and set the others’ one.
Keep in mind, arts and colors always provide the most relaxation of mind. So, you’ll never have to go through something that’ll mess you up here. Keep painting and wait till we bring some more amazing stuff for you.